Splintered Realities
by Himitsu no Kokoro
Summary: Rewrite for 'Entwined Fates! Kaoru’s known things before they’ve happened, but she’s not prepared for what’s in her future. They call it an accident, she calls it fate but fate is never final, especially when there’s a ambereyed demon added to the mix. KB


**Prologue:** **Stirrings**

* * *

Placed in a steel walled room, the entire space almost completely covered by machines from all shapes and sizes, there was a cell made of bulletproof glass and inside was a perfectly round ball of energy as high as a six foot man. Wires snaked in from holes placed in the glass attaching to the crackling orb. The energy barrier crackled with dark purple sparks and then stilled. 

One of the scientists present in the room shushed everyone else and turned a dial up on a machine. A heartbeat, slow and steady, but nevertheless a heartbeat filled the empty silence. Whispers raised excitedly as the machines read that there was movement inside.

The team of five scientists gave each other proud looks and hurriedly began to record this new event. Each man and woman spoke with a sense of achievement to their comrades as they set about to do their assigned work.

"There's movement, I can't believe that there's movement! After all this time, we've finally been able to breach the spell! Hurry up and make a report about the good news, boss doesn't like to be kept waiting." A short man spoke to the woman beside him who obediently gathered all data that the machines spewed out and headed towards the door. "Kami, finally we've had some success, soon we'll be truly be able to see how the beast looks like."

"Slow down Yoshida, heh, we've still got a long way to go."

"Yeah, yeah, so what? It's still great that we even got this far."

"Anyways, go back to researching the composition of the shield, okay? Shift's almost over, just finish it up and then we can go home. I know my bed's calling me!" Murmurs of agreement joined his declaration.

One straight night of work, all for that one success, it was more than worth it.

Two hours passed before the lights finally dimmed as the scientists left one by one. The last one stretched with a yawn in the doorway before finally flicking off the lights altogether.

"We'll see you later, demon." He called out with a smirk.

The door shut, followed by the thuds of steel doors as the scientist activated them. Inside the darkened room the ball of energy crackled once and then a tiny break appeared on the surface, too small for even the machines to notice.

* * *

_Where am I… it's so warm… but the darkness is still there._

_No… not alone… the smell of blood is… it's everywhere… all I can see… darkness but I'm still tired… why am I tired… and the smell of blood is everywhere… why won't it go away?... I can't breathe… can't brea-_

_

* * *

_

She shot up in her bed hands clutching at her throat. Kaoru could feel the bile rising up and she raced out to the bathroom. She heaved until there was nothing left in her stomach. Leaning back to rest against the wall she stayed there trembling until she felt good enough to move. A glance out the window showed her that it was still very late at night. Too tired for modesty she wiped a hand across her face and grimaced at the taste in her mouth.

Kaoru kept trembling but it wasn't so bad now. Standing shakily, she flipped the light switch on and took a look at her red and puffy face in the mirror, the unkempt hair, and teary eyes. Put simply… she looked like shit.

Kaoru reached for a facecloth and ran cold water over it. She pressed the cloth against her face and recoiled from the coldness but continued her ministrations. Then she picked up her blue Smurf toothbrush – a present from her brother as a joke - and liberally applied mint toothpaste to it. She brushed her teeth just staring at her reflection.

_'Well, at least I don't look like crap anymore.'_ Kaoru spit down the drain and rinsed her mouth feeling much better than before. She left the bathroom and returned to her room.

"Lucky that Yahiko didn't wake up," she crawled into bed, "… seems like my dream-shifting went a bit far this time, sure wasn't my dream that I had just now. There was so much blood…" Kaoru could feel her last remains of conciousness drain away.

_'…so much blood but also something else…'_

The raven haired girl lost herself to the darkness of sleep.

* * *

Back in the laboratory where the energy ball presided, a low beepsounded from a machine as it registered a further increase in heart rate and the crack widened.

* * *

In the inner city of Tokyo, a man straightened up in his office seat, his glass of liquor paused swirling. 

"Well, well, well, seems like we've got a new problem, you've finally started to stir," he mused.

The glass raised and the man took a swallow of his sake, he raised his eyes to a pair of swords hanging on the wall on an oak rack. Smooth and worn hilts, the blades still gleaming sharp. Far older than most swords that were ever recovered from old Japan, this set belonged to one person, and that person was sitting in a high backed chair staring at them. They had always belonged to him, throughout the horrors of the Bakumatsu to the modern era of the 20th Century; and now they would see use once again.

* * *

**  
A/N:**

Sorry it took so long! Yeah, I know that this isn't even a really long chapter, but I suppose you could think of it as a teaser maybe? But good news, Kenshin appears sooner, plus the plot is still similar to **Entwined Fates**, but the storyline will move faster ((also it's worked out better)). Also big thanks to everyone who gave their opinions etc, I really appreciated it!_ -throws out Kenshin plushies-_

So enjoy and please review!


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